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How Many Teams Has Kristaps Porzingis Played For In the NBA? Find Out
With Porzingis adding 20 points in the Boston Celtics 107-89 win over Dallas Mavericks in NBA Finals Game 1, here’s all you need to know about the number of teams Porzingis has played for.
Thursday night saw the honoring of Hall of Famer Bill Walton by the Celtics. It also saw Porzingis play his first game in over five weeks, missing games because of a calf strain in the first round. In this game, he scored 20 points, 3 blocks, and grabbed 6 rebounds, all in 20 minutes. His performance helped the Celtics crush the Dallas Mavericks 107-89 in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
This was Porzingis' first playoff game since the first round, and that too, against his old team. But how many teams has Kristaps Porzingis played for in his career? Here's what you need to know:
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New York Knicks (2015–2019)
The Knicks were the first team Porzingis played for; they picked him fourth overall in the 2015 draft. At first, fans didn't like him much, but he soon became the star of the Knicks. He made the All-Star team in 2018 after playing his first three seasons there.
On December 3, 2015, Porziņģis was chosen as Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for October and November games.
However, while he was recovering from an injury in 2019, the Knicks traded him to the Dallas Mavericks. There was talk that he didn't want to compete for attention with Kevin Durant, who later joined the Brooklyn Nets. Porzingis later moved to Boston after spending five seasons between Dallas and Washington.
"I miss this place and I wish nothing but the best for this organization," Porzingis said about the Knicks after Wednesday's win, despite being booed by fans.
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Dallas Mavericks (2019–2022)
Porzingis played with the Mavericks from 2019 to 2022. He was supposed to be Luka Doncic's running partner on the team. However, his time in Dallas ended abruptly when he was traded to the Wizards at the 2022 trade deadline.
Porzingis made his Mavericks debut on October 23, 2019, scoring 23 points and four rebounds in a 108-100 victory against the Wizards.
Porzingis, who was dealing with a torn ACL when traded, had injury issues during his time in Dallas. He averaged 20.0 points and 8.8 rebounds in 134 games for the Mavs. The team eventually decided Porzingis and Doncic were not a long-term fit and traded Porzingis to the Washington Wizards.
During his time in Dallas, Porzingis found it hard to accept a secondary role as Doncic rose to fame quickly.
He hoped the arrival of Jason Kidd as coach before the 2021-22 season would give him a fresh start in Dallas. However, he faced more injuries that season before being traded to Washington with a second-round pick for guard Spencer Dinwiddie and forward Davis Bertans. The Mavericks' general manager, Nico Harrison, said the trade was for "depth and flexibility."
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Washington Wizards (2022–2023)
The Dallas Mavericks traded Porzingis and a protected second-round pick to the Washington Wizards for Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans. Doncic and Porzingis never built the partnership the club hoped for when Dallas traded for Porzingis from the New York Knicks in 2019.
At the time of the trade, Porzingis was still recovering from surgery on a torn ligament in his left knee, not long after his All-Star season with the Knicks in 2018. He started playing for Dallas in the 2019-20 season but continued to struggle with injuries.
In Washington, however, playing with passers like Bradley Beal and Kyle Kuzma, Porzingis did well, shooting nearly 50% from the field—a career-high. He also set career highs in offensive and overall win shares, as well as true shooting percentage
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Boston Celtics (2023–present)
The Celtics reached the Eastern Conference Finals four times with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart, but only made it to the NBA Finals once.
Boston's management bummed after another loss in the Eastern Conference Finals in 2023, decided to make some serious changes. Smart, one of their aces since his draft in 2014, was traded in a three-team deal for All-Star forward Kristaps Porzingis.
Throughout his career, Porzingis' health has been uncertain, but he showed that if he stayed healthy, he could be the most vetted player traded. There were doubts about how well he would fit with players like score-first icons like Brown and Tatum, but Porzingis quickly showed he was a great match for this Celtics team.
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Porzingis has slotted in with the Boston Celtics just right, something the Mavericks wished had happened with them. He averaged 20.1 points and shot his career-best 51.5% from the floor. Of his threes, he connected 37.5%. Backstopping the third-rated defense in the NBA, he blocked almost two shots per game.
When asked when he thought Porzingis would fit in well, Celtics coach, Joe Mazzulla said, "Right away."
